Graduation
Jul. 19th, 2003 11:31 pmWhile in #lj_support this evening, I mentioned that I graduated today, well aware that I’ve probably misled that illustrious group of people as to precisely what happened.
I actually finished my degree (BA Hons in Jurisprudence)* last summer, when I took finals. When I say finals, finals are exactly what I mean: my entire degree result** was determined on the basis of nine examinations taken over eleven days. Oxford has a rather nice system where one chooses when to graduate (in the sense of putting on a gown and being formally admitted to the degree) – there are a number of dates to pick from, you choose the one you want and send the forms off. I’d arranged to go with my two closest friends, and some others I knew fairly well happened to be graduating too – which made the day much more pleasant.
6.15am
The unGodly hour at which my alarm sounded this morning. Susie and I had to leave the house at 7am, and I don’t function particularly well in the mornings, especially when I’ve not had breakfast, so I got up in time to eat. We didn’t quite manage to leave at 7 – but were close enough to it, and the bus faster that we hoped that we reached Marble Arch in time for the 7.50am X90 coach service to Oxford. We collected Anna from Baker Street, and generally chatted all the way to Oxford (I got lots of information about my new home from her: I don’t want to sound unknowing to potential housemates).
Oxford
We went to two different shops on the High Street to collect our hired BA gowns and hoods, and then to visit a friend so that Susie could borrow her gown. Confused? Oxford still has academic dress, called sub fusc - for women*** this involves black trousers/skirt, black stockings, a white blouse, a black ribbon (around your neck like a tie), and the right gown – commoners (eg. undergraduates who haven’t been made exhibitioners/scholars by their colleges) have one sort of gown. There’s a different one for those with exhibitions/scholarships – which are awards, normally of only around £150/year – so not very valuable, given for academic performance. And there’s a different gown again for graduate students. It’s wearing this garb that one matriculates (becomes a member of the University), sits public examinations **** and graduates – so in order for Susie to graduate she needed an exhibitioner’s gown, as well as her hired BA gown.
After we’d done that, we went to a newsagents so that Susie and Anna could buy Pete a card, Pete was the Porter who had agreed to come to the Sheldonian to ‘gown’ them – eg. help them change from their original gowns to their BA gowns. From there we visited Harveys for some coffee before going to Merton to meet the Dean for briefing. It was there that things went slightly wrong – I managed to spill coffee on my blouse. Luckily, I had a spare one with me, so I nipped off and changed. The Dean, who although young, is quintessentially an Oxford man, then briefed us – saying that while nothing could go wrong, it could be embarrassing, and he then proceeded to demonstrate what would happen – talking Alex’s right hand in his own, and with them standing side by side, he began to speak in Latin, bowing first straight, then to his left, then to his right, and then straight again. I couldn’t help sniggering under my breath – it looks so silly; the candidate remains silent, but does the bowing bits.
He led us to the Sheldonian, upon arrival at the gate he doffed his mortar board to the gentleman standing there (again having me almost laughing). The formal part of the degree ceremony is conducted entirely in Latin, though the Vice-Chancelllor – Sir Colin Lucas, began with a short speech in English. Due to the number of candidates we went through the following format three times – starting with the highest degrees and ending with the lowest (that’s us with BAs).
One of the Proctors***** read the names of the candidates for each degree by college, asking the Ancient House of Congregation to admit the candidates to the degrees. The Proctors then walked up and down the Sheldonian and then granted the degrees on behalf of the Masters (members of Congregation).
Then the words in English ‘Merton College, the Dean’ (relevant name of college(s) inserted) signalled that candidates and their Deans were to go to the middle of the Sheldonian, and the exercise described above (words in Latin and bowing) happens – those particular words in Latin are essentially the Dean asking the V-C and Proctors to admit the candidates to the degree.
The Proctors then reads a charge to the candidates, requiring them to obey all relevant University regulations. For some degrees candidates are required to swear an oath that they will do so, using the Latin do fidem.
The Vice-Chancellor admits the candidates to their degrees – in the case of some degrees, they are required to kneel and are admitted in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They then leave the Sheldonian and are ‘gowned’, before returning into the theatre to clapping. They then bow to the V-C and are seated.
We were in the third group – so by the time it was our turn we’d watched lots of people do it – nothing embarrassing happened – we were sent off outside to be gowned, and I must say I felt ridiculous wearing my BA gown. It has huge sleeves and my shoulders aren’t quite broad enough for it. Worse that that was the hood – it fastens on to your blouse, and then hangs over your shoulders/back – that made me feel really silly.
Once the ceremony was over – which was very soon after we’d gone in and bowed to the V-C in our new gowns, I found my parents and we queued for pictures. I don’t like having my picture taken, but it was sort of necessary for prosperity today, and they’ll make my Mum happy. Then came a buffet lunch in Merton – I was surprised that it was a cold buffet – I’d been expecting it to be a much more formal meal, but was quite glad when it wasn’t. We moved some chairs, so that Anna, Susie and I, together with our families were able to sit together. And that was more or less it – I took Helen and my Mum to Ben’s Cookies (lovely, gooey cookies), went to the bank, had a quick look for walking boots, and then went back to London with Anna.
*Jurisprudence is what Oxford calls a law degree. Oxford law degrees are BAs, not LLBs – presumably for historical reason.
**UK degrees are classified as Firsts, 2.1, 2.2, Third, Pass and Fail. Getting a 2.1 is important in finding a job afterwards.
***Men wear a dark suit, dress shirt, white bow tie and gown. We also all carry/wear a mortar board.
****Public exams are Mods/Prelims – taken in your first year, which you must pass in order to stay on your course – in practice your college is likely to ask you to take a year out if you get marks equal to a Third or lower, and Finals.
*****The Proctors are University officials responsible for a whole host of things – including discipline, and are generally wonderful people – they’re academics who’ve taken a year out of their research (which isn’t necessarily good for their careers, ‘cos other people might beat them to particular discoveries/they lose out on up to date knowledge) to become essentially administrators/meeting attendees.
I actually finished my degree (BA Hons in Jurisprudence)* last summer, when I took finals. When I say finals, finals are exactly what I mean: my entire degree result** was determined on the basis of nine examinations taken over eleven days. Oxford has a rather nice system where one chooses when to graduate (in the sense of putting on a gown and being formally admitted to the degree) – there are a number of dates to pick from, you choose the one you want and send the forms off. I’d arranged to go with my two closest friends, and some others I knew fairly well happened to be graduating too – which made the day much more pleasant.
6.15am
The unGodly hour at which my alarm sounded this morning. Susie and I had to leave the house at 7am, and I don’t function particularly well in the mornings, especially when I’ve not had breakfast, so I got up in time to eat. We didn’t quite manage to leave at 7 – but were close enough to it, and the bus faster that we hoped that we reached Marble Arch in time for the 7.50am X90 coach service to Oxford. We collected Anna from Baker Street, and generally chatted all the way to Oxford (I got lots of information about my new home from her: I don’t want to sound unknowing to potential housemates).
Oxford
We went to two different shops on the High Street to collect our hired BA gowns and hoods, and then to visit a friend so that Susie could borrow her gown. Confused? Oxford still has academic dress, called sub fusc - for women*** this involves black trousers/skirt, black stockings, a white blouse, a black ribbon (around your neck like a tie), and the right gown – commoners (eg. undergraduates who haven’t been made exhibitioners/scholars by their colleges) have one sort of gown. There’s a different one for those with exhibitions/scholarships – which are awards, normally of only around £150/year – so not very valuable, given for academic performance. And there’s a different gown again for graduate students. It’s wearing this garb that one matriculates (becomes a member of the University), sits public examinations **** and graduates – so in order for Susie to graduate she needed an exhibitioner’s gown, as well as her hired BA gown.
After we’d done that, we went to a newsagents so that Susie and Anna could buy Pete a card, Pete was the Porter who had agreed to come to the Sheldonian to ‘gown’ them – eg. help them change from their original gowns to their BA gowns. From there we visited Harveys for some coffee before going to Merton to meet the Dean for briefing. It was there that things went slightly wrong – I managed to spill coffee on my blouse. Luckily, I had a spare one with me, so I nipped off and changed. The Dean, who although young, is quintessentially an Oxford man, then briefed us – saying that while nothing could go wrong, it could be embarrassing, and he then proceeded to demonstrate what would happen – talking Alex’s right hand in his own, and with them standing side by side, he began to speak in Latin, bowing first straight, then to his left, then to his right, and then straight again. I couldn’t help sniggering under my breath – it looks so silly; the candidate remains silent, but does the bowing bits.
He led us to the Sheldonian, upon arrival at the gate he doffed his mortar board to the gentleman standing there (again having me almost laughing). The formal part of the degree ceremony is conducted entirely in Latin, though the Vice-Chancelllor – Sir Colin Lucas, began with a short speech in English. Due to the number of candidates we went through the following format three times – starting with the highest degrees and ending with the lowest (that’s us with BAs).
One of the Proctors***** read the names of the candidates for each degree by college, asking the Ancient House of Congregation to admit the candidates to the degrees. The Proctors then walked up and down the Sheldonian and then granted the degrees on behalf of the Masters (members of Congregation).
Then the words in English ‘Merton College, the Dean’ (relevant name of college(s) inserted) signalled that candidates and their Deans were to go to the middle of the Sheldonian, and the exercise described above (words in Latin and bowing) happens – those particular words in Latin are essentially the Dean asking the V-C and Proctors to admit the candidates to the degree.
The Proctors then reads a charge to the candidates, requiring them to obey all relevant University regulations. For some degrees candidates are required to swear an oath that they will do so, using the Latin do fidem.
The Vice-Chancellor admits the candidates to their degrees – in the case of some degrees, they are required to kneel and are admitted in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They then leave the Sheldonian and are ‘gowned’, before returning into the theatre to clapping. They then bow to the V-C and are seated.
We were in the third group – so by the time it was our turn we’d watched lots of people do it – nothing embarrassing happened – we were sent off outside to be gowned, and I must say I felt ridiculous wearing my BA gown. It has huge sleeves and my shoulders aren’t quite broad enough for it. Worse that that was the hood – it fastens on to your blouse, and then hangs over your shoulders/back – that made me feel really silly.
Once the ceremony was over – which was very soon after we’d gone in and bowed to the V-C in our new gowns, I found my parents and we queued for pictures. I don’t like having my picture taken, but it was sort of necessary for prosperity today, and they’ll make my Mum happy. Then came a buffet lunch in Merton – I was surprised that it was a cold buffet – I’d been expecting it to be a much more formal meal, but was quite glad when it wasn’t. We moved some chairs, so that Anna, Susie and I, together with our families were able to sit together. And that was more or less it – I took Helen and my Mum to Ben’s Cookies (lovely, gooey cookies), went to the bank, had a quick look for walking boots, and then went back to London with Anna.
*Jurisprudence is what Oxford calls a law degree. Oxford law degrees are BAs, not LLBs – presumably for historical reason.
**UK degrees are classified as Firsts, 2.1, 2.2, Third, Pass and Fail. Getting a 2.1 is important in finding a job afterwards.
***Men wear a dark suit, dress shirt, white bow tie and gown. We also all carry/wear a mortar board.
****Public exams are Mods/Prelims – taken in your first year, which you must pass in order to stay on your course – in practice your college is likely to ask you to take a year out if you get marks equal to a Third or lower, and Finals.
*****The Proctors are University officials responsible for a whole host of things – including discipline, and are generally wonderful people – they’re academics who’ve taken a year out of their research (which isn’t necessarily good for their careers, ‘cos other people might beat them to particular discoveries/they lose out on up to date knowledge) to become essentially administrators/meeting attendees.
